Kidnapped
by Tabiku Tab Iakkin
Summary: Haseo wakes up in a strange room he'd never been in before, bound in chains, and no idea as to how he got there. Stranger things have happened, right?
1. Wake up

Ryou blinked sleepily as his eye sight adjusted to the darkness of the room he was in. It was completely unfamiliar to him. Shifting his weight to his left side, he quickly realized that his right side was asleep, and that chains bound his hands. The bed he lay on was actually pretty comfortable, if only he could figure out how he'd gotten here.

A muffled moan told him he wasn't alone, and his crimson gaze landed on a blue haired boy…a few seconds later he realized it was Endrance, dressed exactly like his online character, sword lying not a few feet from him at the foot of the bed. With a start, he glanced at hi own attire; that of an adapt rogue. The tattoos on his stomach, arms and face, he quickly learned, were real, if the sting had anything to say about it. They burned and itched, as if they, whoever had captured him, had just finished them the day before.

A feminine cough bought his attention to the prone figure of Atoli, also dressed as her character; a harvest cleric. Her long staff was propped against the bed, next to a broad sword and some twin blades. Sitting up took a bit of work, but finally he did. "Endrance! Atoli! Wake up!" slightly panicked, he felt a draft from the doorway, and summarized that they must be in some kind of basement…or according to their outfits, a dungeon.

With a moan, Endrance suddenly sat up. "Haseo? What's going on? Are we in real life?" he asked, and Haseo noticed that his voice matched the character perfectly, if a bit deeper.

"I don't know where we are, and yes, we are in real life. I can feel the chains, the draft, and the softness of the bed. And Atoli is here as well, next to me."

Speaking of Atoli, she chose that moment to joint he land of the living. "What's going on?" she murmured, sitting up, but leaning against Haseo.

"Don't know," Haseo repeated, glad to note that her voice wasn't really that high pitched. A voice modifier, he concluded.

"I thought I heard something, glad to see your awake!" a beat cleric entered, and he certainly looked the part. A fake mask, though very real looking, had been glued to the poor kid's face, and extra padding added under it's armor to emphasize the beasts' weight. ""Welcome to the real world version of 'The World!' You have been selected as participants due to the number of hours you logged into on the online version. The live action version, or the real world version, is much like the online version, with a few changes, of course.

"First and foremost, each players outfit is customized with a life counter, if your life counter reaches Zero, and a resurrect, or an echo screen is not used before the end of a battle, you will be considered dead, and removed from the game immediately. All party members will be asked to leave the dungeon immediately upon this occasion.

"Die, as in really, really die?" Atoli interrupted.

"I don't know, never died before. As I was saying. The normal potions and such will be available, and each is electronically keyed to your character, and those you select to use them on. Additionally, upon activating your life counters, you will be issued a head set in which you may send short mail, or have a private conversation if you will, to the people on your short mail lists. Removal of the headset is prohibited, and will result in game over. Almost everything is voice activated, so if you lose your headset, you cannot get it replaced as it is unique to you and your character. You will be issued packs with which you may carry items you gather in fields, and anything you would wish to bring with you, baring the capacity it holds.

"Quest shops, magic armor, and weapon shops are available and run by administrators. Money will also be issued with your headsets and packs, which contain beginner items. A PDA will also be issued with each pack, to keep track of your levels, items in your storage, or bank, your money count, and your short mail lists. Do not lose this either, or game over!

"Pking is strictly forbidden in town, or any level dungeon between 1 and 20. When entering a battle, a purple field will show around the battlesite…"

"Wait, your telling us that pking is allowed!?" Haseo was now slightly pissed off. He really, really didn't want to be here right now. He had a headache, his side was still asleep, and he was kidnapped, of all things!

"Yes, now if I may finish!" the beast was clearly irritated. "If you wish to rest, or eat, inns are available at anytime, and if you gain enough money, you may purchase guild space, or a home space. Meals will automatically be served in rooms at the standard times. If you wish to carry food with you into a dungeon, please leave a list with an admin and they will see to it by the next day."

"What about the chains?! What's with the chains?" Haseo gestured with his hands, and they made a loud clinking sound.

"A precaution only. Some players panic upon entering The World for the first time."

"What if we don't want to play?" Atoli chirped, shifting her weight.

"Then you will be brought before an administrator and forcibly extradited from the area, or you will change your mind and play the game. Now, in order to be released form the chains, simply state your character name, your class, and your normal password is to be imputed into your PDA."

"I don't want to play!" Haseo glared at the thing, and he could swear the thing was gleeful.

"I'll fetch the admin then, while the other two are deciding." And the creature left.

"Haseo!" came two shocked voices.

"What? I want to know if we can leave this place safely. Or haven't your guys realized, We've. Been. Kidnapped!" Haseo glared at a wall, "I have no intentions of spending the rest of my life in a test tube dungeon getting job extensions glued to my body in some weird make believe place that isn't real life!"

"What if…What if they hurt you? You said we've been kidnapped, if that were true, then why kidnap so many people? I'm an online junkie, according to everyone, and my parents support me, we're not rich." Endrance surmised

"My parents always fight, and my dad is working two jobs, I'm not rich either," Atoli murmured.

"My parents are, unfortunately, maybe they brought you here to keep me here?" Haseo mused allowed.

"But why would they give you the option to leave? Maybe it is just as he said, and our parents gave permission to get rid of their unwanted children?" Endrance murmured.

"Gah, I don't know, but if you see me again, I'll tell you what I learned while I was away..."

"It couldn't be AD.." Atoli stopped speaking as a black dressed man entered, grabbed Ryou's leg, and hauled him down the bed. He quickly found himself thrown over a bulky shoulder, and his outfit dug painfully into his stomach.

"Put me down! I can walk!" Haseo growled, kicking his legs at the man's face.

"Not for long, kid," the man was certainly sadistic, pressing painfully on Haseo's back, shoving him further down onto one of the shoulder spikes of the man's armor. His words weren't much comfort either. They approached a warp point and Haseo blinked as they walked through it completely. A new-age hologram? The room was dark, lit only by a small panel, which blinked "select warp point field," in a loop.

"Administrative command, Alpha beta AIDA." The man intoned.

"AIDA?" Haseo swallowed hard, this was not good…not good at all. He thought he'd destroyed AIDA! Shino...Alkaid! The room blanked out, and Haseo found himself in hell...

………____________________________.............

Atoli turned to Endrance, who was now leaning against the headboard. "I'm going to play," he finally decided, "Endrance, Blade braider (SP?)" and he entered his password. "I'm hungry, and I see nothing wrong with this, I've always wanted to be inside the game for real..." he murmured, and Atoli followed his example, playing with the PDA in her hand. Their chains, held together by strong magnets, suddenly fell into their laps. "Right, lets check out the surrounding area, get our bearings," Atoli murmured, picking up her pack, her headset, and her staff.

"Right, I'm sure Haseo will catch up to us later..." Endrance put the earpiece-headset around his ear, and spoke softly, "Atoli, send me your short mail address, and I'll send you mine." A few more moments of checking their belongings, figuring out how to use the items inside, and making sure they fully understood their PDA's, they left the room and checked out the town they were in.

……………___________________________....................

Haseo moaned in pain, his head ached terribly, and he was hungry, tired, and in desperate need of a bath. It'd been a week since he'd been brought into the 'game,' and already he didn't like it. The bastards were infected by AIDA and wouldn't let him go. Apparently he served two purposes, his parents were paying them to keep him alive, and they couldn't let him go off on his own, as his avatar would cause lots of problem. Thus, they had only one of two solutions available to them. The first was to try and turn him to their side, so not going to happen. And the next, infect him with AIDA, in which the only way he were to get free, would be if Kuhn were to use propagation on him, and data-drain the virus before it got too far out of hand. He'd been fighting the thrice damned thing ever since they put that chip in the base of his skull.

It whispered, seductively into his mind, where only he could hear it. He screamed again, locked in his tiny little cell, until his voice was hoarse, and he could no longer speak. It alternated between pain and pleasure, making him feel happy, elated, joyous, and then pain…agony beyond anything he'd ever felt before. The impact of thousands of voices, screaming, crying out in pain, and feeling each wound as if they were his own, was maddening. Though he had no physical wounds, really, only the bruise on his stomach where the guards had knocked him out in order to do the surgery for the chip, which was just a small cut really. Bandages wrapped around his head, and a mircosealer later, he was already growing his hair back.

With a silent whimper, he curled in on himself. The door suddenly opened, and a very large man dragged the fifteen year old out of his cell. "Now it is time for the real fun to begin, since you have yet to make up your mind." The man threw him in the center of a pool of light, cracked his knuckles, and gave an evil laugh. Haseo shuddered, the physical stuff was about to begin. He didn't know if he could take it! His pride, though, damn his pride, reared it's ugly head and he snapped, "Never in a million years! Kiss my ass you bastard!" Guess he found his voice, though it cost him to speak.

Hours later, he really was a mess, but they used a mircosealer on him, therefore the wounds healed, but he still felt their impact. Days, weeks, or months had passed in this manner, but finally, in a fit of desperation, Haseo weakly bowed his head, and murmured, "I give up, I'll play," and thus he was reintroduced into the real life game. An ear piece was attached to his ear, and a small, skin colored wire was connected to the chip in his head. That was sealed into his skin in the most painful way they could imagine. Using a skin grafter to grow his own skin over the wire, leaving what looked like a very thin scar from the base of his right ear, to the back of his skull. "That way the AIDA administrators can monitor you." A cheerful voice informed him. He screamed in agony as they ripped the skin, buried the wire, and then grew the skin over it.

Finally he was released to bath, which he did gratefully, fully aware that the male guards that had beaten him up before were standing not two feet away with glowers on their faces. It was a three hour bath, and the water had to be changed several times in order to get rid of the blood, muck, and the smell of a human gone too long without bathing. It was amazing he didn't break out in acne from it all.

He was reissued his adapt rogue outfit, which he carefully donned, being careful of very sore muscles. Everything hurt, even his hair! A pack was painfully buried into his stomach, and a PDA shoved into his hand. "Haseo," he croaked, "Adapt Rogue." And then he entered his password, and his PDA beeped a welcome. The PDA was then plucked out of his hand and placed in a hip holster next to his blunted weapons. His broad sword was strapped to his back, and his twin blades at his side. "You have been granted you second form," he was told, "You'll find your outfit already in your at home space, which has been graciously given to you by AIDA, because you'll be one of our more…permanent guests. The warp point will take you home, simply impute your name into the option menu. Ohh, I have also taken the liberty of inviting your friends to your home...I hope you don't mind..." and then he was shoved into the hologram warp point. Stumbling over to the panel, he leaned against the wall, clutching his pack with one shaking arm, and did as he was told for once. There was a shudder, then an electric door opened into a brightly lit room.

Using the wall as a support, he hobbled over to the doorway, peering cautiously inside. It was red and black, very morbid looking, and matched his character outfit perfectly. He wondered vaguely, as he entered the room to stare around the room, noting the bed, the cooking space, and a washroom, why they hadn't issued his costume where he'd been. With a groan, he dropped the pack on the floor, listening to the door close as he stumbled to the bed and fell face forward onto it. He was asleep before his head hit the too soft pillow...

"...been asleep for a while. I'm worried, he didn't even notice us when we entered!" Haseo vaguely heard a girls voice in the back of his aching head. A cold cloth was placed on his head, and it eased the ache. He moaned, shifting closer to the cool relief, almost whimpering when it grew hot to the touch.

"He is simply exhausted. Have you not heard of children who are tired, sometimes gain fevers? I checked him over myself, there are no wounds on him that I can discern. Wherever he was, they must have been doing something to keep him awake, or something on his mind prevented him from getting much sleep. Here, use this, place it in his pillowcase. It will protect him from the cold, and will probably bring his fever down faster." Endrance, he'd recognize that voice anywhere. Ice, cool, wonderful ice was placed under his head, and he signed in relief, relaxing tense muscles he didn't know he'd been tightening. Another ice pack was placed on his stomach, and another under his feet, and he signed softly again, realizing just how hot he'd been. His mind quickly grew befuddled, and beckoned him back to restful sleep, but he had to acknowledge them. Didn't he say that he would never take his eyes off them ever again?

"..anks.." Haseo forced through chapped lips that just didn't want to separate.

"What did he say?" Atoli asked, but Endrance ignored her, "Shh, Haseo, rest, all will be better when you awaken."

"tay `ere?" he murmured, for some reason, not wanting to be left alone.

"We shall not leave your side for anything until you awaken. One of us shall remain, regardless of the situation."

"………`k," Haseo turned his cheek into his now cold pillow, nuzzling the hand the brushed his bangs away from his closed eyes, much like he'd done when his mother took care of him when he was younger and sick. Then he slept.

~~~~_________

End Chapter 1


	2. Tune up

Misaki murmured in his sleep, shivered, then curled into the warm body next to him. The ice packs had long since melted, and the bed was wet in condensation. A hand soothed his hair, before gently lifting his head and sliding the wet pillow away. Something much softer was placed in its place. He signed, looking much younger than his fifteen years of age.

"His fever is gone," Endrance murmured to himself, pulling a fresh, dry blanket over the two snoozing teens. Atoli had her arms wrapped around Haseo, and Haseo was resting his head half on Endrance's cloak, and half on her shoulder. With a smile, he crawled under the blanket and wrapped his arms around the two, holding them close to his chest, wanting to protect them from anyone who might burst in on them. Closing his eyes, he rested his head above Haseo's finally taking the time to close his eyes and rest.

Was this what being a parent meant? Constantly worrying that his 'children' would be hurt or fell sick, or would need help with bullies at school? He rather liked this feeling of being constantly needed. With that pleasant thought gracing his mind, Endrance slept...

Misaki opened his eyes, staring at a rather blue chest. He immediately realized where he was, of course, and knew that Endrance was before him, and Atoli was breathing gently into the back of his neck. For a few moments, he lay there in almost overwhelming heat, before his bladder got insistent. Carefully, and turning a bit pink when he realized what he'd done in his sleep, he detangled a hand from Endrance's shirt and shook the man's arm to wake him up. "Endrance," he whispered.

"Hmm?" sleepy blue eyes opened and stared at him inquiring.

"Bathroom," he whispered.

"Right," the older man nodded, carefully disentangling his arms from around the two, and scooting off the bed. "I think you might have a fever, again; you're flushed." Cool hands were placed on his cheeks and forehead, and though it felt good, his bladder complained louder than before.

"Could be," he shrugged, scooting off the bed. "Where's the bathroom?"

"The restroom is down at the end of that hallway, past the alchemy and bike tune-up areas."

"Thanks." Thus he made his way to the bathroom. He longed to take another bath, but he really wanted to get dressed and explore, to look for a way out. Looking around the bathroom, after using the toilet and washing his hands, he noticed three rather thin doorways. They weren't wide enough for a person to fit through, but he realized, when he opened one, that they were perfect for clothing. He pulled out his second form outfit, glad that the only added armor were shoulder pads and hip pads. Once he finished, he stopped and stared in the mirror. His tattoos no longer stung, but stood in stark contrast to his pale skin. They'd even died his hair a shade of gray that seemed to have many shades, which matched his online character. His eyes had always been a reddish brown color, which made him sinister looking.

The mirror suddenly looked funny, as if it were under intense heat, and started bubbling before his wide eyes. A voice, much like his own, whispered in his ear. 'Yes, sinister, looking, no one would dare to try and intimidate him! No one would try to pk someone as scary looking as he!' AIDA! Misaki forced the thoughts down, and as he did, the mirror turned to rights. "I. Am. Not. The. Terror. Of. Death!" He said aloud. With that viciously spoken statement, AIDA retreated, and he stormed out of the restroom.

"Haseo?! What's wrong?" Atoli was there, awake and by his side in seconds.

"Umm, err, I didn't tell you before, but I've been...infected by AIDA..."

"What?! I thought were finally destroyed it! Though it's not that far a leap in thought to say that people can be controlled or infected by AIDA in the real world; seeing as it put people into comas." Endrance walked forward quickly, holding a cup of hot chocolate, which he passed to Haseo, "I thought it would make you feel better," he added in a softer murmur. Misaki accepted the mug, taking a sip, and sighing as the warmth settled in his empty stomach.

"I don't know...they put this chip in my head," he reflexively touched the spot, "And connected it to my earpiece. AIDA's been trying to drive me crazy since just after they took me away. How long was I gone anyway?"

"We're not sure, a long time though. There is no distinction of time here. It is daylight outside all the time, unless you go to a night field." Endrance was behind Ryou, tilting his head to the side to see how the wire disappeared into the skin.

"Right, it felt like forever!" Atoli traced the thin scar with her finger, and Misaki shivered, realizing that a pain he hadn't noticed before fled at her touch. Atoli flinched back, as if she'd hurt him. "Does it hurt?" she asked.

"Only when you stopped," Misaki gave her a shy smile over his shoulder, and then turned to a weapons rack to acquire his pack and weapons. "Right, I need to look around, what level are you guys?"

"Twenty-one each," Endrance replied, "We stuck to the PK-free zones as long as we could."

"Right then, I guess I've got my work cut out for me. I need to learn whatever spells and skills I can get my hands on..." With a sigh, he left his "home" and the other two quickly followed. Belatedly he realized he was still holding the hot chocolate, and paused in the middle of the Mac Anu Mercenary District, "Thanks, by the way, I do feel better," took another sip, and continued on his way. Atoli giggled, "Just like Haseo to forget to thank someone until later." Endrance gave a soft laugh.

The layout was exactly the same as Mac Anu, sky and all. "We're already stocked, if you want to head straight to a field and start leveling up?" Atoli asked, after they'd visited the entire town, remembering his penchant for wanting to level. "Yeah, sounds good. Let's start at level one, I need to get used to my weapons…" Misaki glanced down at his level counter, the first screen on his PDA. Before they actually teleported anywhere, I.e. use the elevator to go to a field, he studied his PDA. He selected a dungeon, and they began.

The first monster on the grassland field was a hologram, but when he slashed at it like it was a real creature, it dealt damage, and eventually, it 'died.' It got in one hit, and Misaki had his first inkling that something was wrong when he felt the mild, invisible blow. It took a while to get used to his weapons, finding ways to slash at close range, and to dodge out of the way, and Rengenki was a pain his ass just to even think about performing. He had to press a skills button on his weapon, and then actually attack in that formation of the attack. It took a lot of jumping and slashing. This transition took the thought of the real feeling blow from his mind until he was up against a level thirteen monster, which knocked the wind out of his exhausted body. All he could do was lie on the ground and hope to block the blows. Endrance realized he wasn't getting up soon after he fell in and stood in to destroy the monster with one hit.

Haseo lay gasping on the ground, trying to fill his lungs with air, but it was stubbornly refusing to cooperate. As soon as Atoli cast Repth, the pressure on his stomach eased and he took gulping breaths. "What's wrong Haseo, what happened? It looked like you really took that blow!" worried hands helped him sit up.

"I did, I felt it, man did it hurt..." he groaned. "It's got to be that chip, trying to make sure I don't die or something."

"You want to quit and head back?" Endrance asked.

"No, I want to finish this dungeon, I'm almost level twelve. And we can sell the item for cash if we can't use it."

"Right, I'll up my healing so you're not hurt for long!" Atoli gripped her staff in determination, and they continued in the dungeon. By the time their stomachs were growling, and their limbs were weak with exhaustion, they had completed three more dungeons, and Misaki reached level fifteen by skipping to a higher level dungeon.

"Showers, both of you," Endrance collected their weapons as soon as they walked into their Guild Home, placing them on the weapons rack. "I'll find something for dinner." With tired nods, Misaki graciously allowed Atoli access first. He was half asleep on the floor outside when she tapped his shoulder. After his refreshing shower, and dressing in the standard issued p.j.'s, a black pair of draw string pants and a gray tank, he stumbled into the small kitchen nook.

Atoli was almost asleep over her bowl of soup, and when Misaki sat down, she had no qualms about leaning against him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to run you guys ragged," he murmured softly.

"It's alright, you wanted to catch up, and that's completely understandable. However, before we rest, we must do some stretches, else our muscles will stiffen and we won't be able to move tomorrow morning." Endrance was calm as he collected the empty dishes, placing them in the sink. With groans and muffled protests, the two at the table finished what they could of their meal, then ambled, stumbled really, into the living space, which was the emptiest place to work.

Using meager knowledge from gym glasses, gymnastics for Atoli and Endrance, before he became a shut in, and what just plain felt good when they moved in certain ways, the tree stretched tired muscles. Once finished, Endrance grabbed a shower, changed into similar white pajamas, and then happily collapsed in what could only be described as a puppy pile. Endrance was on the bottom, With Haseo lying half on him, face in the pillow, and Atoli lay curled up on half of him, her face resting on his chest and leg thrown over Endrance and the gray haired boy. Comfortable, they slept, heedless of what they looked like to outsiders.

In the morning it was a different story. While muscles still stiffened, and ached, and was just a nightmare to move period, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Atoli ended up in between the two males, each sheltering her in the warm of their bodies; an arm from each wrapped securely around her waist to hold the active sleeper still. Atoli lay on her back, face turned into Haseo's shoulder, arms crossed over her stomach, holding both arms where they were; as if she were afraid they were going to disappear. It was how the Administrators found the group when they unceremoniously dragged Misaki from bed and tossed him into the center of the living space.

From dead asleep to semi-consciousness, Misaki couldn't prevent them from sticking a sticky, cold patch on his cheek. "Haseo!" Atoli lunged forward, Endrance not a second behind her. They were caught in mid-lunge by two, large men. They struggled, but similar patches were placed on them. One on Atoli's neck, and on Endrance's hand. With a groan, Misaki tried to gain his feet, but kept wobbling to his left when he got to his knees. A pair of strong arms hauled him up around his middle. With another groan, he tried lifting his arm to remove the patch, but his movements were sluggish, and easily thwarted. All three were hauled out of their home and down through the town, towards the area elevator. They were left in a heap next to each other, but by then, the down patch had gone to work on Misaki's system, and his eyes were half-mast when Atoli shook his shoulder, and he flopped like a fish out of water. He ended up slumping in Endrance's lap, completely listless.

His mind floated in a fog, trying to find a way to surface. He heard voices, and realized the reason he saw all the fog, was because his eyes were closed. Following the voices, he opened his eyes, immediately seeing a picture of his mother and father. The picture moved, and the voices got louder, but he couldn't understand them. Shaking his head, which took most of his energy, he attempted to sit up a bit in a chair, which seemed to strap him down, so that he wouldn't fall out. The pain of the down patch being removed woke him up a bit, and almost immediately he felt strength returning to his limbs.

"Kaasan, Tousan, nani?" (Mom, dad, what?)

"Misaki! Are you alright? Why does he look like he's been tortured! We paid already!" his mother was apparently in hysterics.

"I'm fine, Kaasan, just sleepy." He rubbed his eye, then his sore cheek. "They hauled me out of bed to come, and used drugs so I wouldn't fight," he guessed the last part, but the residue that his hand absorbed confirmed that something had been used to keep him calm.

"Down patches? Is that really necessary?" His father looked pale, not at all his usual confident self.

"Tousan, what's going on?" he asked, finally sitting up, removing the seal belt like straps that kept him in the chair.

"We're, apparently, being told that your agreed to this…farce of a life!" his father was really mad, Misaki noticed, his face turning purple, and the red vein at his temple was starting to show.

"Hell. No." two simple words, and his father instantly calmed down.

"Good, we knew you were smarter than that. That's why we suspected something was amiss when they started asking for ridicules amounts of money to insure your 'safety.'"

"Ransom money, then," Misaki shrugged his shoulders, but instantly regretted the movement, as his shoulders screamed agony at him. His wince must have shown on his face, because his mother instantly started asking questions about his health.

"I'm fine, Kaasan, it's very physical here, and I just got out of the detention block, I think..." Misaki instantly felt a sting radiate from the base of his skull to his ear. Absently he rubbed the spot.

"You think? How can you not be sure?" His father frowned, going a bit more pale.

"It seemed like an endless time where they tried to persuade me to play their game. I couldn't take it anymore and gave in yesterday, or the day before yesterday...How long have I been missing?" The sting grew worse as he spoke, and he realized he probably should shut up about all the torture stuff.

His parents shared a look, "Almost four months..." Misaki was surprised, "Wow," he shook his head, regretting it as his head exploded in pain. He winced, holding his head, missing the next few moments of his parents speaking.

"What's wrong with him!!" he finally heard his father yell at an admin standing nearby.

"He's not supposed to talk about certain things, thus he is being corrected..."

"Corrected by what? How?"

"A program we installed into your son. It goes by the name of Artificially Intelligent Data Anomaly, or AIDA. It's an independent system intent on the reformation and learnings of certain characters, or people, who play the game. Currently, your son is in the reformation stage. Of course, if you comply with the demands, and your son completes all the objectives placed before him in order to win the game, the system will be uninstalled and he will be returned to you..."

"Installed, uninstalled, you talk as if my son is a computer!" His father was outraged, holding his mothers arm, as if to hold her back from striking the camera.

"Well, essentially, here, in this place, that is how we treat the characters. We maintain them, in order for AIDA to learn from them, so that it can grow and learn new things. Unfortunately..." the Admin was caught in the middle of his lecture by Misaki, who was once again strapped into his chair. "At..oli.." he murmured, AIDA strong in his head, in his ear, and whispering things he couldn't possibly know.

"Haseo?" the Administrator stepped forward, checking his pupils and pulse, "At…oli…" he murmured again, hands mindlessly reaching down to undo his straps. "Yes, your team-mate, what of her?"

"At…oli…" Misaki stood, his legs shaking, as he headed for the door. The Admin shrugged and followed, his own AIDA chip telling him to allow the boy to do as he was told. They left Misaki's parents gaping.

'There, she's being hurt, she doesn't like it where she is, you can save her, you can make them all go away, you can make them hurt for hurting her. Let your anger take you, it's the only way to save her, you must save her. Endrance, Endrance is in trouble too, you must save him too, how can you save two with your weak thinking? Anger is the way to go, be angry. Angry. ANGRY!' Misaki moaned, clutching his head and leaning against the wall, still struggling forward.

His muscles screamed at him, but suddenly the pain dulled, and his shaking legs had strength. He stood up straight, stood before a door that read 'In Use, Do Not Disturb,' and threw open the door with a bang. The Admin's stood off to the side as Misaki stalked forward, anger written in his every stance. He wasn't very impressive looking in just his pajama's, the same that Atoli wore, but the two figures that had been ranting a moment before, suddenly stopped speaking to stare at the enraged boy.

"If you ever. EVER speak to her in that manner again, I swear. I SWEAR I'LL RIP OUT YOUR TONGUES AND FEED THEM TO YOU!" his roar of rage startled everyone, including the cowering Atoli, who'd shrunk as far back in her seat as she could while her parents were busy screaming obscenities at her. Calling her a druggie, a whore, and a game junkie just didn't sit right with anyone, especially the emotionally fragile girl before him. "Apologize," he growled, stalking forward another few steps toward the monitor, "Apologize now, or you will never speak with her again." As if his word were suddenly made law, the Admin's nodded their heads, "It will be done," they murmured as one.

"I don't have to apologize to my own daughter! Especially for pointing out all her faults so that she can correct them! I don't want my daughter in…What in the hell are you doing?! Put her down! You get your hands of my daughter this instant!" The father screamed, purple with rage and indignation. It was awkward, as the two were similar in height, but once Misaki freed her from the seat belt, he scooped her out of her chair and carried her, bridal style, out of the room. Down the hall they went, to where Endrance was facing a similar situation, only he wasn't cowering in his seat, terrified, as Atoli had been. Setting the wobbly girl down on the floor outside as gently as his enraged self could, he threw open the door with a louder bang than before, startling the two on the screen, and Endrance, who was staring blankly forward.

"Is this one of your fag friends? You got a boy friend now?" the man sneered, and the woman coughed into her hand, staying silent.

"This is Haseo, a close friend of mine, I take care of him and Atoli here." Endrance murmured in a dull tone, though his eyes did light up a bit when Misaki entered, "We played online together for a few years, and now we play in real life as well."

"Kaoru, I swear if you don't do something with your life, I wash my hands of you!" the man glared at the screen, "I won't pay for anything anymore! You have to get a job, go to college, anything but this wastefulness! You cannot depend on absent friends on an online game!"

Endrance's eyes widened slightly, but Misaki stepped in smoothly. "You leave…Kaoru," he paused, using the man's first name for the first time, "Alone, I don't care if you wash your hands of him or not, I'll take care of him. We don't need you! Atoli, Endrance, and I, we wash our hands of YOU." And thus the enraged teen unbuckled Endrance, tossed him over a shoulder. Kaoru rested his forearms against Haseo's back and simply waved goodbye to his mother as they left. Misaki held a hand out to Atoli, and using just him, hauled the two weakened people toward the elevator and to their new prison cell aka, Home. He'd get them out of this mess, one way or another, and he didn't need any abusive parents to do it with! Finally when they reached the elevator, with the Admin's trailing behind, smug smirks on their faces, Misaki faulted. At first it was simply his arms beginning to shake, thus he allowed Kaoru to stand on his own feet, but he refused to allow him more than an inch from his person and clung to his hand as if he'd be yanked away at any second.

AIDA was still strong in his mind, fueling his rage, which simmered in waves, coming and going with Atoli's soft voice in his ear. But he was still possessive and growled dangerously anytime an admin so much as looked at the two. Eventually he had them placed behind him, with him standing "guard." The two went with it, knowing better than to argue, not that they would in the first place.

"Shh, it's alright, it's over now, shh," Atoli murmured, but it was only when she absently reached for the thin scar behind his ear that he really let go of the mindless rage, and AIDA faded into the background of his mind. By the time they reached their prison cell, or their home, his legs faulted, and Kaoru and Atoli helped drag him inside. Exhausted, they never really made it to the comfy bed, but simply curled up in a pile on the floor against the wall. It took a good two days before anyone was well enough to venture out and actually begin to walk the town again, and another two of constant exercises before they were deemed fit enough by Kaoru to go leveling up more. Even then, they stuck to the lower levels until they were confident in their movements, skills, and usage of materials.

Unsurprisingly, over those few days where Kaoru enforced lax movements, Misaki learned their real names, Chigusa, for Atoli, and Kaoru for Endrance. They called them by either name, as they were comfortable with both. They also gained physical strength, as well as muscle tone, with all the exercise they did. Atoli, while not bulky, certainly could defend herself in real life should she be caught on some dark street corner. Misaki had always been fit, and while he was a social outcast, he had never really had problems with bullies like the other two.

The most fitting change, however, was in Kaoru. Long gone was the drawn, pale, thin look. He no longer shook at the prospect of not being near a computer terminal, and had even gained enough weight to pass as human instead of alien looking. Long ropes of muscle adorned his arms, not bulky like some, but a contained strength. Once a week they were dragged in for "Maintenance." Misaki called them really embarrassing health exams which he was drugged through, poked, prodded, and his ear piece cleaned and filtered. It was the only time it was away from his ear, and even then it was never fully detached.

All this time, Misaki plotted and planned, mostly keeping it to himself, as he was unsure how the other two would take the news, before he finally got inspired on how to escape. After all, they enjoyed the game now than their real lives anyway. So Masaki planned for that too. It was a long shot, but hey, he had nothing to lose.

End chapter 2

Okay, that's the next chapter. I updated the first chapter, noticing a few mistakes. Sorry about that, sometimes I type so fast I type the wrong word lol.

Tabiku


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